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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · fall · court · temple · bark · bass · key · racket

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — in music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the fish
  7. key — for a lock
  8. court — of a king
  9. key — the most important part
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. court — for sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fall — the season
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com